Blue Earth County, Minnesota - Chapter 12: Events of 1860 and 1861 - Beginning of the Civil War and First Enlistments, 1901

On January 4, I860, all of town 108 range 35, except south tier of sections, was separated from Jamestown and organized into a town by itself, under the name of Lake. On the same date the town of Mapleton was severed from the town of Sherman and made an independent town, under the name of "Sterling," and the name of the town of Sherman on petition changed to "Mapleton." On the same date, also, it appears that there were 28 school districts in actual existence in the county, in which there were 1,165 pupils.

At its session in March, 1860, the Legislature abolished the Board of County Supervisors and went back to the old plan of governing counties by Commissioners. Accordingly, at a special election held ia Blue Earth County on April 3, 1860, the following Commissioners were elected : Chas. Thompson, Chairman; Robert Taylor, W. H. Blackmer, J. M. Mead and R. H. Allen, all Republicans, and on June 6th, 1860, this board divided the county into five commissioner districts as follows :

June 5th, 1860, upon motion of Mr. Mead the County Commissioners in order to correct the error ia naming towns 106 and 107 in range 39, named the former "Fox Lake" and the latter "Ceresco" and thus the mistake was legally corrected, but as a matter of fact it was never done, for the old blunder continued in the record books of the county and finally prevailed. On June 8, 1860, the town of "Lake" had its name changed to "Tivoli," and on September 5th it

The winter of 1859-60 was rather open, except for a few weeks in the last of December and first part of January. By February the snow was mostly gone and some seeding was done in the latter part of February. On March 10th the rivers were clear of ice. On March 22 d the "Time and Tide" arrived at Mankato and South Bend, as the first boat of the season. As there had not been much snow the water was quite low, and navigation poor all summer. The larger boats could only reach Mankato a few days in April, and again for three or four days in June. A few of the smaller boats, like the "Little Dorrit," "Eloian" and "Albany," were able to ascend the river, except for a short period ia mid summer. The Albany was a new boat this year and built expressly for low water. The old settlers used to say that she only needed a light dew to run. Mr. Cleveland's two barges were, also, kept in constant operation and did good service. A new bridge had been finished during the winter at Vernon, and another by Mr. McCarthy over the Le Sueur.

In March a large black bear nearly seven feet in length was killed in South Bend township on the Blue Earth and deer were still very plenty in the woods. The fur trade of those days was a big item and as indicative of the number of wild animals still found ia the county, the one firm of White & Marks, at Mankato, bought and shipped during ten days in April the following furs : 2,150 muskrats, 130 minks, 19 coon, 21 beavers, 16 otters, 2 wolves, total value $750.00. This gives some faint idea of what the fur trade of the whole county would amount to in a whole year. Many a pioneer depended largely on this trade for much of his living.

At Mankato this year Warren's Addition was Early in June a war party of the Chippeways platted, a large stone church was erected by the thirsting for vengeance appeared on . the scene Catholic society, and a number of new stores and a skirmish occurred near South Bend. The and manufacturing enterprises started. In July squaws and papooses when the foe appeared fled of this year (1860) Henry Thoms opened at to the cabins of the settlers for protection like a Mankato the first barbershop in the county. Pro- covey of partridges before the hawk, bably after this the typical hirsute aspect of This year claims for damages resulting from the frontier among us began to disappear. the Inkpadutah war were proved before George About April 1st, the Mankato Hook and Lad- L. Becker as Commissioner and $16,679.97 paid, der Co., was organized at the city hall, - the first Fourth of July celebrations were held in 1860 fire company in the county. Among its first at Mankato, Winnebago Agency, South Bend, officers were: President, Edward E. Parry, Vice Vernon and Butternut Valley. At Mankato Pres. Z. Paddock; Secy., 0. 0. Pitcher; Treas., the program was in charge of the new fire corn- Isaac Marks; Board of Directors, James Shoe- pany, which appeared on the occasion in its maker, William H. Hodgson, W. Wycoff, Jas. B. new uniform of gray shirts, black pantaloons, Hubbell and Edwin Bradley. patent leather belts, and blue cloth caps, trim- In July 1860, the Independent and the med with gold lace and letters. Beside the Pecord were both changed from weekly to fire company, the Mankato Eifle Company under semi weekly papers. In October M. T. C. Capt. Ulman and the Artillery Company under Fowler bought of Capt. Joseph Guenther, the Capt.- Patterson were big features of the parade, building called Union Hall and converted it in- which was in charge of Col. Tourtellotte as to a hotel with the name "Clifton House." Marshall, Fred C. Eoosevelt, as Aid and Dan H. At South Bend the building of a steam grist Tyner as Assistant. Attorney Cramer Burt mill, then the largest in the county, by McCauley delivered the address. At Garden City Daniel and McNamara was the principal event of the Buck and General James H. Baker delivered adyear. It was completed by October and did a dresses.

sides the large number attending private high schools. In June of this year, Ira S. Smith was appointed the first County Superintendent, of schools. In those days there was no homestead law, and the settlers had made all their claims under the preemption act, which required a payment of $1.35 per acre to the government. In July 1860 the lands in Minnesota were forced to sale, which meant that every settler must pay for his land within a given time or lose it. This produced consternation among all the settlers as all were very poor and interest rates were exorbitant, none less than 12 per cent and much going as high as 25 per cent. On the 24th of July, 1860, the settlers of Blue Earth county met at Mankato in mass convention, to protest against the undue haste of the government in crowding the payment in so unseasonable a time, but it did not avail. The money loaners reaped a rich harvest and the settlers had to grin and bear it though a number of them in the end lost their farms.

While the election of M. S. Wilkinson to the U. S. Senate lost to the Bar of the county one of its most brilliant members, the coming to Mankato of Judge Franklin H. Waite in the fall of this year, kept up its reputation. For what the Judge might have lacked in brilliancy compared to Wilkinson, he more than made up in industry.

PoHtics this year was at a white heat in Blue Earth County, as elsewhere through the country. Republican clubs, Lincoln, and Wide Awake Clubs, and Democratic and Douglass Clubs were organized everywhere and liberty poles erected. The people were wild with enthusiasm. They argued, debated, orated, sang campaign songs, built log cabins, and carried fence rails on their shoulders. They hoorahed for the "Little Giant" and for "Honest Abe" until their throats were cracked. The Republicans won out in Blue Earth County electing aU their candidates, except the state senator for which oSice S. F. Barmey was chosen with the aid of Le Sueur County.

The river closed on November 23nd, when the first snow fell. Up to this time the weather had been fine and farmers were able to plow. Crops had been fairly good over the county, but prices were very low. Wheat only brought thirty to thirty-five cents per bushel, pork about one to two cents per pound. Owing to the low stage of water the warehouses in South Bend and Mankato had been left unemptied, and hence buyers could not purchase more. The winter was quite severe with a heavy fall of snow, which did not melt until the first week in April. The resulting fioods were the highest for many years. The Jennette Roberts was the first boat on April, 10th, 1861.

The report of MaJ. Mix agent of the Winnebago Indians for the year 1860 showed the total number of red men at this agency to be about 3,106, or nearly 400 families, of the number 706 were females and 878 children. About 200 resided oflE the reservation, mostly in Wisconsin. There were 1,600 acres of land cultivated that year by the Indians, fourteen families of them raised enough wheat and oats .for their own use. There had been 260 cases of small pox among them during the year, forty -three of which had proved fatal. The school at the agency had been in charge of Supt. W. E. Cul- ]en; two interpreters had been employed; 118 pupils enrolled, 62 males and fifty-eight females, F.nd the average attendance was 71 1-2. The branches taught were orthography, reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and grammar. The girls were also taught house work. This gives us a glimpse of Indian Agency life in Blue Earth County. Many of its most prominent features, however, were not incorporated in the report. The number of gallons of whisky consumed, the quarrels between themselves, and between them and the whites, the stealing from the Indians by the whites, and from the whites by the Indians, the filth and degradation everywhere.

In March, 1861, the Winnebago Treaty made in April, 1859, whereby the Indians ceded the west four townships of their reservation and were to be alloted an eighty-acre farm to each family.

was ratified by the senate. General J. H. Baker, Mr. Walcott of Ind. and Mr. Sample of 111., were appointed to make the allotment of the farms, which they did during the summer of this year. It was found that there were 650 persons entitled to farms under the treaty. The number of acres actually assigned to the Indians as farms were 45,787, and there was assigned for the use of the Indians besides 10,800 acres of timber land, and 8,800 acres of prairie. This only took up four townships of their Keservation in all and left six townships to be sold to white settlers, four and two thirds of which were located in Blue Earth County. Nothing further was done in the matter, as the delays incident to the distraction of the Civil War, to the objection of the Indians to such a radical change of their ancestral rights and customs, and to the protests of the citizens, who wanted the Indians removed all together, postponed action until the great Sioux outbreak of the next year necessitated the abrogation of the whole treaty.

During 1861 the agent's report showed the number of acres cultivated by the Winnebagoes to have been 675; 300 plowed by the department and 475 by the Indians. One hundred and twelve acres were in wheat, forty-nine in oats, 440 acres in corn, twenty-two in potatoes and forty acres in beans. There were 129 pupils in the Indian schools.

The election of Lincoln and the consequent change of administration, called forth a wild scramble for office among the Eepublicans. D. C. Evans was a candidate for the position of Agent of the Winnebagoes. Being a Blue Earth County man, where the Agency was located, and having, as State Senator, done valiant service for Senator Wilkinson, he was supposed to have the inside track, but he and all the other candidates from this county were doomed to disappointment, and St. A. D. Balcombe of Winona was appointed. Dr. M. R. Wickersham was made Indian physician. J. B. Hubbell, also, succeeded Henry Poster as trader at the Agency. Mr. Poster, however, removed his store into Mankato town, just outside the Agency limits, where he continued in business until the departure of the Indians. In April, 1861, Eev. John Kerns the

The question of removing the county seat from Mankato to Garden City began to be agitated by some of the citizens of the latter place and a bill introduced in the Legislature this year to that effect, but it failed of passage.

The firing on Pt. Sumpter, which heralded the beginning of the Civil War, created a profound sensation in Blue Earth County as elsewhere. On April 14, 1861, the steamboat Pavorite passed down the river, with 80 officers and men of the regular army under Major Pemberton from Pt. Eidgely, whence they had been ordered south to help quell the rebellion. They were nearly all southern men and during the short time the boat stopped at Mankato, the people were greatlj disgusted with their outspoken secession sentiments. The government paid the Pavorite $3,- 500.00 for transporting these secessionists to La Crosse, and as much more to carry them thence tc Washington, and then, almost to a man, they went into the Confederate army, and Major Pemberton became the noted rebel general of that name.

On April 23, 1861, a company was enlisted at Mankato with N. W. Dickerson as Captain, Chas. Reynolds as first Lieutenant and J. E. Beatty as second Lieutenant. Sargeants, 1st, B. P. Dewey, 3nd, Thos. Quayle, 3rd, Daniel Hazen, 4th S. D. Parsons; Corporals, 1st, H. W. Lambert, 2nd, William H. Fleining, 3rd B. P. Williams, 4th, L. N. Holmes, Bugler, Ben M. Hazen.

Capt. James Cannon who had belonged to tlie militia in New York acted as drilling officer. $1,000.00 was raised by subscription for the families of the volunteers. It only took three days to raise the company. About seventy-five of the men were from Mankato -and the remaining 25 came from Garden City and Shelby. The evening before the departure of the company for Port Snelling a public meeting was held at Masonic Hall, Mankato, to bid the boys God speed, and the ladies presented them with a large new flag. The next morning (July 4th, 1861) the company formed in line in front of the Leech building, and thence marched up

Front street to the City Hall which stood about where the Hodson & Davy implement store is now located where they were met by a big procession of Sabbath school children and a great crowd of men and women. Preceded by the band and the children in marching order, they were escorted on their way to Fort Snelling as far as where the Franklin school now stands. Here the children formed open ranks and sang while the soldiers led by Capt. Dickerson marched between them. A few parting words from the good old pastor, Eev. Thompson, closing with a prayer. A neat copy of the Bible was handed to each soldier. Then came the final parting with many tears from father, mother, sister, brother, sweetheart, wife, children and friends and the brave boys in blue were off to the war, many of them never to return. This is but typical of thousands of similar scenes all over the land in those trying days of the great Civil War. We of today hardly imagine the terrible reality of those trying days.

This first contingent for our great war failed to get into the first Minnesota regiment, as a company, but a number of individuals enlisted in it by joining other companies. Others entered the service later.

Next day (April 16th) the Fanny Harris arrived from Fort Eidgely with Major Thos. W. Sherman and a portion of his command, the balance having gone on foot across to St. Peter. They were also, bound for southern battle fields. On April 26th the Favorite passed down the river with a company of Artillery in command of Maj. Morris on their way to the seat of waf. Hardly 30 men were now left at Port Bidgely. Perhaps the first to enlist from the county was Ed. E. Parry who, on May 11, 1861, was commissioned 1st Lieutenant in 11th Regiment, Regular Army. George Evans of Garden City was -probably the first to enlist as a volunteer. He happened to be back in Boston on a visit when the war broke out and at once joined the 1st Massachusetts.

At Mankato the stars and stripes was hoisted over both the Democratic and Eepublican headquarters, and in every village through the county Union poles were raised with old glory flying from their tops. Everywhere Democrats

In September a volunteer cavalry company under Capt. B. F. Smith, which had been recruited at Vernon, Garden City and Shelby, tendered its services to the g(Jvernor. This company had been organized in the Armory at Garden City about the middle of May, 1861, as a home guard. Thirty-seven members were enrolled at the first meeting and the following officers chosen: Captain B. F. Smith, 1st Lieut. Dr. J. W. B. Welcome, 2nd Lieut. Nathan Bass; 3rd Lieut. W. H. MiUer of Shelby; Ensign J. A. Reed, 1st Sargeant, Edson Gary, 2nd Sargent, Marshall T. Fall; 3rd Sargeant, M. T. Walbridge, 4th Sargent, T. S. Hayes; 1st corporal, David Hamlin, 2nd Corporal John A. Darling; 3rd Corporal B. A. Cooper; 4th Corporal E. B. Evans; Bugler George Harriman; Secretary William H. Hills. About the first of June they received fifty sabers, belts, holsters, pistols, etc., from the state arsenal and spent much time in drilling.

At Garden City there had been a flourishing militia company since the Inkpadutah war. Its captain at this time was one Rice. On September 28th Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Ray in behalf of the ladies of Garden City presented this company with a fine silk flag in anticipation that their proffered service to their country would soon be accepted.

On June 15, 1861, a war meeting was held at Shelbyville and another military company organized, the officers of which were Captain H. W. Oilman, 1st Lieut. W. H. Blackmer ; 2nd Lieut. A. Miller; 3rd. Lieut. Daniel Fagen; and Orderly Sargent E. S. Knowles.

On June 3rd, 1861 the first session of the U. S. Court was held at Mankato in the Masonic Hall. J. R. Cleveland was appointed its first U. S. Marshall.

Besides the furs he captured the pioneer had another important source of revenue in the ginseng root. The women and children claimed the right to this branch of industry fully more than the men. In those good old days it was no uncommon sight in the proper season of the year, to see bands of women and children with h"^ tied over their shoulders and armed with hoes, roaming the forests in quest of the Chinefe drug. In 1860, 83,000 pounds were gathered in Blue Earth county, which at eight cents per pound netted the gatherers $6,640.

The steamboat trade of the year was excellent. The Minnesota Packet Company put upon the river two of the largest boats that had yet navigated it, "The City Belle" and "The Fanny Harris." Among the other boats of this season were the Jennette Eoberts, Favorite, ' Eolian, Albany and Frank Steel.

As indicating the progress of the country in horticulture it may be noted that Kobert Goodyear, the principal gardener of that day had from 12,000 to 15,000 standard apple trees. The County Fair this year was held at South Bend. In the early part of the winter McCauley and McNainara leased their South Bend grist mill to a Mr. Pugh of Wisconsin, and took a lease shortly afterwards from the "West Mankato Company" of the steam saw mill owned by them and located near the Blue Earth river bridge.

The great Civil War was now on in earnest and the music of the fife and drum resounded from one end of the country to the other. The fathers and the sons were enlisting and the mothers and daughters were busy day and night fitting out the soldiers with hundreds of things required for their army life". The whole land was ablaze with patriotism. The flag was everywhere in evidence. Half the men you met were dressed in uniforms. Squads of men were drilling in every village street, and every country crossroad. Even the school children were infected with the war spirit and everywhere played soldiers.

The men of Col. B. F. Smith's Cavalry Company from Vernon were mustered in on Nov. 8th, 1861. Col. Smith himself was promoted Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd regiment. William Smith was chosen 1st Lieutenant and Nathan Bass 2nd Lieutenant. At Mankato J. B. Tourtellotte raised another company, called the "Valley Shooters."

The winter of 1861-2 was quite severe with much snow. Between February 28th and March 3rd, one of the heaviest snow storms in the history of the country occurred and the land was buried beneath mountain drifts. It took days for companies of men with ox teams, snow plows and shovels to open the roads for travel. The middle of April 1863 saw in every river a tremendous flood, and the bridges all over the county were swept away. The government bridge over the Blue Earth at Mankato was among the rest, and no bridge was left on this river in the county. The bridges on the Watonwan suffered nearly as bad. The bridge over the Le Sueur on the Agency road, which Mr. Mc- Carty had mostly built at his own expense, was swept away. The bridges in Butternut Valley, Shelby and Sterling were mostly destroyed. The mills of the county, also, suffered severely. The mill of Seward & Co., in Mankato, was in water to the roof. The Butterfield mill was swept away bodily, with the warehouses, wheat and flour. All the mills were greatly damaged. Lyman B. Stillson of Shelbyville, whose home was on the river bank, attempted to escape in a small boat with his wife and four children. When in mid stream the boat was capsized by the swift current and three of the children were drowned, and the father and mother and little babe barely escaped.

Another incident, which might have resulted tragically, but which in fact had a ludicrous ending, happened in the same locality a few days later. It illustrates how close together some times the comical and serious events of our life come. A gentleman of Shelby attempted to cross the Blue Earth River during this flood in a dug out. When half way over J;he boat upset and the man swam to some willows, whose tops emerged a few feet above the raging waters. Despairing of help he divested himself of his boots and all his clothing and hung each garment on the clump of willows. In the pocket of his pataloons was $25.00 in gold. He then swam to the bank of the river opposite from his home, as it was the most convenient and he hoped to find a boat there not far off. He had barely gotten to shore and was expelling the water from his nose, eyes and ears when down the river came a monster log and made straight for that willow bush on which hung out friend's apparel and his $25.00, and in a few seconds the bush, clothes, money, boots and all disappeared before his eyes with the current. No boat could be found, and nei- May 27, 1862, the ladies of Mankato orther the cold water nor the cold air were specially ganized a soldiers Aid society, with Mrs. Judge congenial to our friend in his Adam-like cos- Waite as president, Mrs. H. Fowler, Vice Presitume. He finally managed to reach a settler's dent, Mrs. J. E. Cleveland, See}', and j\rrs. C. cabin and explained his embarrassing predica- A. Chapman, Treasurer. On June 5th this soment. Here he obtained some clothing and ciety elected permanent officers as follows: Presihelp to reach his home. ' dent, Mrs. D. H. Tyner; Vice Pres., Mrs. A. D. The first boat to reach Mankato this year Seward, Secy, Mrs. W. L. Coon, Treas. Mrs. was the Albany on April 13. There was a C. A. Chapman. Good work was done by it good stage of water nearly all summer and the to help the soldiers. On July 1, 1862, boats were kept busy. The arrivals at Mankato the first daily stage between Winona and Manwere, as follows: kato was started by the Burbanks Company.

tions were made on Willow Creek in our county Slaughter, Jerome Dane, John E. Eoberts, Genduring the spring and summer. eral James H. Baker and many others were